Heart of Dragon (1985)
Director - Sammo Hung
DVD Released by : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment/Fortune Star
Player reviewed with : Malata 520
Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925
 
Features:
Cantonese and English Soundtracks 5.1 Dolby and DTS
Chinese Subtitles
Enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs
New and Original Trailers
Two Deleted Fight Scenes
Region 1
Running Time : 90mins.

HEART OF DRAGON features Jackie as a tough detective and Sammo Hung as his 30 year old mentally challenged brother. Jackie would love to join the merchant marines but needs to take constant care of his brother who has the mind of a child and can't be left alone. When Sammo innocently gets involved with jewel thieves, it is up to Jackie and his police friends to save the day.

HEART OF DRAGON is a drama and really shows that Jackie is more than an action hero. He can act very well. The same can be said for Sammo Hung. The two really shine in this movie. If you have only seen Jackie's more recent movies, this one will come as a surprise. Though few, the fights are brutal and deliberate. No slapstick here. The moral of this story is that you just don't get between Jackie Chan and his brother. This is a great movie if you want to see another side of Jackie Chan. Sammo doesn't fight in this movie but his performance is wonderful. This movie is as close to a tear jerker as you will ever get from Jackie and Sammo. There are some truly touching scenes. Some really hate this movie but I think it's a great display of what Jackie and Sammo can do.

Fox's HEART OF DRAGON contains extra fight scenes as a bonus feature as well as trailers. The extra fight scenes are from a longer cut of the movie but the film itself on this DVD is the original Hong Kong version. My opinion is that the movie works better without the extra scenes but you will be able to see for yourself on this DVD.

HEART OF DRAGON looks very good on this DVD. The film print is in very good condition. The detail and colors also look very good. The transfer is 16x9 and like the other Fox releases in this series, the Fortune Star titles screens are not 16x9 or just not properly flagged. A very minor problem. Overall I am very happy with the picture quality of this DVD.

There are English and Cantonese Dolby 5.1 and DTS tracks. I used the 5.1 Cantonese track and it is mixed very well. The surrounds are used for sound effects and you can hear bullet hits behind you when guns are fired. Dialogue and music are properly placed in the sound field with nothing sounding out of place. I am pleasantly surprised with this remix. I would prefer the original sound mix but this one is fine.

The subtitles are easy to read and though there are some misspellings, there are no grammatical errors. These are dubtitles, which is when the subtitles are exactly what is said on the English dub. The text is well timed with what is being said and stays on the screen long enough to be read.

As mentioned above, the extras consist of trailers and two deleted fight scenes that were actually in a longer cut of the movie. The fight scenes have music over them. While lacking in extras, the quality of the presentation of the movie itself is more than enough to warrant a purchase if you are a fan.

Fox's HEART OF DRAGON is a solid DVD and a welcome one for fans of this movie. While I probably wouldn't recommend a blind purchase, it's a great movie to see another side of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. Definitely not an action film, but a good drama that may bring a tear to your eye.

Fox and Fortune Star have another winner with HEART OF DRAGON.

Reviewed 12/28/2003